Sue Fenton of F Words visits the first subterranean art show ever held in Reigate
The damp, dark coolness of Reigate caves formed an atmospherically spooky setting for the first subterranean art exhibition ever held in the town. Flickering candles lit the exhibits, sculptural pieces by Hungarian-born artist Zita Ra, while a recording of sombre cello sonatas by Polish composer Mieczysław
Weinberg supplied the mood music.
The damp mustiness of the caves, where the temperature is so cool you can see people’s breath in the light of the candles, was a striking contrast with the bright, sunny high street just a few feet away. The mix of candlelight, sombre music, mysterious sculptures and the hushed whispers of local art lovers, was also distinctly different from the sound of chattering families and the ambience of harsh electric light characteristic of the open days that form most people’s experience of the caves.
This event was the result of an unusual collaboration between the artist and the Wealden Cave and Mine Society, which organises public access to the caves.
Zita had long been searching for a cave as an exhibition venue and got in touch with Malcolm Tadd of the Cave Society to ask if she could use Reigate caves for an event as part of her MA in Fine Art at Brighton University. “I’d exhibited in galleries for years, but it never felt right,” she said. “There are ‘deep’ undertones to my work and I knew the right setting would be somewhere deep, like a cave.”
Malcolm agreed to the idea, saying: “These caves are opened to the public for educational purposes as much as anything, and anything educational, like the first art show ever held here, is alright with me.”
Zita praised the society’s supportiveness for giving her the “perfect setting” for her work. “Reigate caves are all I’d hoped for - and more, since the existing exhibition about the history of the caves is a brilliant link to my show’s title of Reconnect, about connecting with geological origins, with history. It’s inspiring.”
Zita’s pieces incorporate materials like metal, gold, glass, feathers and fabric but are made primarily of wood, a medium Zita loves working with because of the life force in it. The exhibits include a series of 22 pieces inspired by tarot cards, which are meant to represent a journey of 22 stages. She has had offers for individual pieces but insists that if they are sold they must stay together. “The 22 pieces are one single work of art - they are bound together and belong to one journey.”
Far from being abstract, the sculptures are surprisingly detailed and individual. ”They’re not conceptual” explained Zita. “They’re metaphorical, poetic and emblematic.” As to what the pieces are “about“, Zita leaves her intentions vague, deliberately not giving names to her pieces. “That’s for the viewer to interpret. I didn’t try to intellectualise and I don’t want viewers to think - I just want them to experience.”
For this reason Zita - unusually for a sculptor - does not object to her work being gently touched. “There’s a sensual pleasure in this type of art that you don’t experience if you’re not allowed to touch.”
Reigate artist Grace Filby was among the guests, gave her interpretation of the show. “The fact that we’re touching the pieces, that fact that it’s so damp and cool, makes it a tactile experience. Even the fact that we’re been given torches to examine the pieces more closely than candlelight will allow, means we’re physically exploring the work - the artist wants us to do something, to experience the art in a way that we couldn’t do with a painting on a canvas.”
Zita’s work undoubtedly has dark overtones, of mystery and mystical symbolism. Even the background music - composer Weinberg’s family died in concentration camps in World War 2 - fits the mood. I overheard one young visitor complain to his parents: “I’m going to have nightmares tonight!”
But Zita explains that the cave setting adds a dark feel to pieces that are not necessarily dark in themselves. “In a cave the spiritual side is more powerful and the dark is emphasised. I’m bringing ideas from a dark place into the light, like a seed growing. In order to experience light it’s essential to experience darkness. These pieces are born of the deep experience of my own struggle from darkness into light, and displayed through publicly accessible art.”
Diary dates
Public open days at Reigate Caves
May 8 (includes further view of Zita’s exhibition), June 12, July 10, August 14, September 11
Zita Ra exhibitions
May 8 at Reigate Caves (further dates to be arranged)
For information about Zita Ra:
www.zitara.co.uk
For information about Reigate Cave open days:
www.wcms.org.uk